Last Modified: Friday, July 12, 2013 at 9:15 p.m.

Vanguard's Princeton McQuay controls the ball in a game against Dunnellon during the West Port Summer League held at West Port High School.

Jacqui Janetzko/Correspondent

The Knights beat Dunnellon 49-43 during Thursday's final night of West Port High School's summer league to polish off a perfect 10-0 run through the five-week, six-team circuit. That, combined with some strong summer showings outside of Marion County, should give Vanguard coach Phillip Small cause for optimism.

Just don't expect him to admit it.

"It doesn't say anything about us because it's not November, December, January or February," Small said. "It says that we managed to take care of business here, but we're so far from where we want to be in December."

Small's Knights went 14-11 last season against an elite schedule, but failed to get out of a brutally tough district that included a pair of state championship contenders in Gainesville and Leesburg. With much of that team expected to return this winter, Small put together an ambitious summer plan in order to get his troops ready for battle.

Along with dominating West Port's league, Vanguard also went unbeaten at Stetson's team camp, won the overall championship at The Villages team camp and reached the final four at the USSSA state tourney in Lakeland, where it lost by just two to perennial power Dwyer and scored a win in pool play over eventual tourney champion Oak Ridge.

"I think it's important for our kids to get out and see what's out there beyond Marion County," Small said. "Should you make the playoffs, you're not going to see Marion County teams, so I'd like to see the best competition I can find and have our guys see what standard they should be working for in practice every day."

Vanguard lost just one player — albeit a good one in all-county wing Raheem Freeman — from his primary rotation last winter.

West Port, which has reached the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, wasn't so fortunate, having lost three starters including a pair of all-county stalwarts in Corey David and reigning Star-Banner Player of the Year Alec Jewell. So unlike Small, Wolf Pack coach Lyle Livengood is using his summer league to rebuild.

"We still don't have a rotation," Livengood said. "We're playing a lot of guys and we're still trying to figure it out. The one thing I will say about my group is that we have shown real improvement in the last month and a half."

Livengood will lean on returning starters Drhyromi Maxwell and Kordel Taylor to shepherd his team through rebuilding. Taylor, a point guard who is West Port's lone returning senior starter, has had a great offseason thus far, Livengood said.

"Kordel is one of the best guards in the area and might be the best defensive guard in the area," Livengood said. "What he's really improved on this summer is he's really begun to distribute the ball better. He's seeing the floor better and the other thing he's doing is he's becoming a little bit more aggressive offensively, which we're going to need from him."

West Port lost by three in Thursday's summer finale to an Inverness Citrus team that also beat the Wolf Pack in overtime last season for the District 6A-6 championship. The loss dropped West Port's summer record to 6-4, while Citrus finished 5-5.

North Marion toppled Belleview on Thursday to finish the league 7-3, second to Vanguard. The Colts lost just three players from last year's 12-14 team, but one of them was top scorer and rebounder Naquan Stokes, a first-team all-county performer.

The Colts should be right in the thick of things in a four-team District 5A-5 this winter that also includes perennial playoff team Eastside along with Lake Weir and Belleview.

The Rattlers, who have not reached the playoffs since 2007, finished the summer at 0-10, while Dunnellon went a deceptively tough 2-8 that included several narrow losses.

Overall, though, the league was less about records and more about getting court time and competition for local basketball players.

"It's a chance for us to play at home in our own facility," Livengood said, "and on top of that it's a quick, easy way for us and the other local teams to get 10 games in with good officials that we know."

For Small and Vanguard, it's also a chance to stay fresh and prepare for what they hope will be a big winter on the hardwood.

"I have a really good group of kids, an experienced group of kids," Small said. "...We have, as usual, an extremely tough district so that's our main concern, getting out of the district. I think our ceiling is whatever these kids want it to be. Based on what we've seen this summer, it could be pretty high."

<p>You don't hang basketball banners in the summertime, but based on its recent performance, Vanguard High School has to feel encouraged about its prospects this winter.</p><p>The Knights beat Dunnellon 49-43 during Thursday's final night of West Port High School's summer league to polish off a perfect 10-0 run through the five-week, six-team circuit. That, combined with some strong summer showings outside of Marion County, should give Vanguard coach Phillip Small cause for optimism.</p><p>Just don't expect him to admit it.</p><p>"It doesn't say anything about us because it's not November, December, January or February," Small said. "It says that we managed to take care of business here, but we're so far from where we want to be in December."</p><p>Small's Knights went 14-11 last season against an elite schedule, but failed to get out of a brutally tough district that included a pair of state championship contenders in Gainesville and Leesburg. With much of that team expected to return this winter, Small put together an ambitious summer plan in order to get his troops ready for battle.</p><p>Along with dominating West Port's league, Vanguard also went unbeaten at Stetson's team camp, won the overall championship at The Villages team camp and reached the final four at the USSSA state tourney in Lakeland, where it lost by just two to perennial power Dwyer and scored a win in pool play over eventual tourney champion Oak Ridge. </p><p>"I think it's important for our kids to get out and see what's out there beyond Marion County," Small said. "Should you make the playoffs, you're not going to see Marion County teams, so I'd like to see the best competition I can find and have our guys see what standard they should be working for in practice every day."</p><p>Vanguard lost just one player — albeit a good one in all-county wing Raheem Freeman — from his primary rotation last winter. </p><p>West Port, which has reached the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, wasn't so fortunate, having lost three starters including a pair of all-county stalwarts in Corey David and reigning Star-Banner Player of the Year Alec Jewell. So unlike Small, Wolf Pack coach Lyle Livengood is using his summer league to rebuild.</p><p>"We still don't have a rotation," Livengood said. "We're playing a lot of guys and we're still trying to figure it out. The one thing I will say about my group is that we have shown real improvement in the last month and a half."</p><p>Livengood will lean on returning starters Drhyromi Maxwell and Kordel Taylor to shepherd his team through rebuilding. Taylor, a point guard who is West Port's lone returning senior starter, has had a great offseason thus far, Livengood said.</p><p>"Kordel is one of the best guards in the area and might be the best defensive guard in the area," Livengood said. "What he's really improved on this summer is he's really begun to distribute the ball better. He's seeing the floor better and the other thing he's doing is he's becoming a little bit more aggressive offensively, which we're going to need from him."</p><p>West Port lost by three in Thursday's summer finale to an Inverness Citrus team that also beat the Wolf Pack in overtime last season for the District 6A-6 championship. The loss dropped West Port's summer record to 6-4, while Citrus finished 5-5. </p><p>North Marion toppled Belleview on Thursday to finish the league 7-3, second to Vanguard. The Colts lost just three players from last year's 12-14 team, but one of them was top scorer and rebounder Naquan Stokes, a first-team all-county performer.</p><p>The Colts should be right in the thick of things in a four-team District 5A-5 this winter that also includes perennial playoff team Eastside along with Lake Weir and Belleview.</p><p>The Rattlers, who have not reached the playoffs since 2007, finished the summer at 0-10, while Dunnellon went a deceptively tough 2-8 that included several narrow losses.</p><p>Overall, though, the league was less about records and more about getting court time and competition for local basketball players. </p><p>"It's a chance for us to play at home in our own facility," Livengood said, "and on top of that it's a quick, easy way for us and the other local teams to get 10 games in with good officials that we know."</p><p>For Small and Vanguard, it's also a chance to stay fresh and prepare for what they hope will be a big winter on the hardwood.</p><p>"I have a really good group of kids, an experienced group of kids," Small said. "...We have, as usual, an extremely tough district so that's our main concern, getting out of the district. I think our ceiling is whatever these kids want it to be. Based on what we've seen this summer, it could be pretty high."</p><p><i>Andy Marks can be reached at andy.marks@starbanner.com.</i></p>